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Tuesday, 9 July 2013

Airline Pilot Aisha reverts to Islam

Sister Aisha Jibreel Alexander, a Airline pilot reverted to Islam. She was a former Christian. Read her amazing story.....

My Name is Aisha Jibreel Alexander, I grew up in a Roman Catholic family,
schools and universities. I was always very interested in knowing about
religion and always questioned the “dogmas” of the catholic faith, but Ifound the same answers every time I asked
about the trinity , “ you had to believe and not question your faith because
you are committing a sin”, the nuns at the school always replied. With this
concept I grew up andI developed a fear
to challenge my faith, so I continued in the road of Christianity with a great
faith and trust in God andon what I
learn to believe“ the Holy trinity.”

In 2001 I had the first meeting with
Islam when I worked for a Canadian Company own by Muslims, there I had my first
confrontation with Islam, but I was young and very much dedicated to my
professional career so I left the questions about religion behind, and I
concentrated on finishing my career and taking care of my responsibilities with
my family who also relocated with me from Colombia, my mother and my
grandmother whose are now 61 and 93 years old. I was very blessed with the
family were I was born; these two women taught me the love and respect to God,
they started my journey to Islam by teaching me that I could not be or do
anything without faith in God. Regardless the school they adhere or followed
they taught me all about faith and respect for God.

I got married in 2003, a marriage that
unfortunately marked my life with domestic violence but out of the sad episode
I had my dearest son who is now eight years old. My husband at the time did not
believe in God or I should said he believed on his own way, he drew me far from
God even from Christianity, it is the most sad episode of my life, but one day
in 2005 I broke out of that situation with the Help of my Mother and I
continued life alone with my son, my mother and working hard to achievemy career goals whilebecoming the main provider of my home.

Aviation brought me many opportunities
most of them really good, I had the opportunity to live in Malaysia a country
that shares three religions, Islam mainly, HInduism and Buddhism, then I lived
in South America and I worked in United States as Corporate Pilot, now I
aman Airline pilot flying mainly to
Asia, Middle East and Europe. Unfortunately being the only female Pilot almost
every where I go I spend lost of time lonely, most of my colleagues spend their
spare time in night clubs and bars, and I was looking for something else that I
could not find never in a club or at a bar, so I dedicated my spare time to
continue my Universitystudies online,
but no time for God other than a small pray in the morning and maybe at night
time, no time to go to churches, so I was growing as a career woman but what
about the life after???...

When I travel to the Middle East I
always felt somethingspecial inside ,
there I felt like dressing in a more decent manner than I normally did, I used
towear tight jeans , tightpants and fashion tops but I didn’t feel like
dressing on that way on the Middle East,not at a place where they call the name of God five times a day...I felt
ashamed…..I guess this is how the conversion started .. once in Bahrein while
waiting for my airplane to be fixed, I downloaded the Quran and I started
praying every day in the morning before going to the breakfast. I was feeling
very empty inside;my life then was
limited to wake up, work, eat, exercise and sleep….but what about my spiritual
life???, not evenwhen I returned back
to Home, I was not leading my son spiritually in the way I was suppose to.
Previously on my search to find God I went from the Catholic church to the
Baptist church, and after the ceremony of the baptism we only wentback to church a few times, mainly because of
my tight schedule at workand
honestlythere was no connection,
something wasmissing, I was not there
completely.

Was God in my life?? Yes, indeed , but
He had better plans for me I think he was just waiting for me to realize that
my life was not only to work and pay bill,he knewI had more
responsibilities with myself and my son, those responsibilitiesto build the life after;so God knocked at my door...and I was afraid
to open, I thought just by talking to God on my mind all day and say his name
many times in the day was enough to feed my soul….but not it wasn’t enough, God
knew I was on urgent need of him saving my life.

The moment I said Islam was for me, it
was in the Middle East; when I heard the call for praying, at that moment I had
to cover my eyes with my sun glasses in front of the other pilots that were
with me on the way to the restaurant, because my eyes covered with tears...I
felt like saying; stop! I have to join this pray. I still remember one of them
making fun of the songs of the Quran, and I felt so upset inside, I felt like
calling him ignorant, don’t you realize is a call for praying to God?… but the
words didn’t come out , but the tears kept rolling down my eyes. On that night
after dinner I came to my room grabbed the praying rug and bowed dow to God as
I asked for his guidance for my spiritual light. After that night my search
started more strong than ever, I watched videos, read the Quran on my long
flights, looked out for Islamic organizations to find answers, and finally one
day in Argentina while resting after a long flight I listed a program about
Islam in the country, so Igoogled for
Islam in South America and I found that I was not the only hispanic interested
in Islam, the community was bigger than what any one could imagine. I committed
my self to return to Argentina soon and visit the biggest Masjid in the
American Continent. so I did, three months passed and I was assigned to a trip
to Argentina on the thanksgivings day. After arriving I made an appointment and
went to visit the Masjid, met with the Sheij, a person from South Arabia who
leads the Masjid, we talkfor about
three hours and before I left he asked me if I wanted to embrace Islam, I said
right away ,Yes!,I felt fear for not
coming back to Argentinaor maybe not to
have that opportunity again.

My biggest struggle was to change my preconceived
conviction of Jesus (Pbuh) being God, at first I felt I was betraying him, I
was concerned and scare, I couldn’t wash out those phrases from the nuns back
at the school saying “ not to challenge the religion because it was a sin”.
This was the most difficult part.

Sheij Mohammed from the Argentina’s
Masjid helped me a lot with a little phrase, he said to me; “Ibrahim, Moses,
Noah, and Jesus (pbut) where all in this road, do you think is there any reason
why you can’t be following them?”…

reading the Quran and finding the
recognition that Jesus (pbuh) has, the importance of Maryamin Islam, she is in Islam more important than
for many Christians, reading about the influence of Constantine and how he
changed Christianity, all these studies helped a lot in clearing out my mind
and feel comfortable with accepting the truth that was always hidden to me, not
in purpose, hidden just because that it was the truth that my parents and
ancestors knew and “never challenged”.

As far as my lifestyle, I stopped
drinking, this happened few months before I accepted Islam, soon after my trip
from Bahrein, after I prayed for guidance ,I met with a good friend of mine; she and I always eat at the same
restaurant and had a drink or two with the food,that day I said “not” I don’t drink any more,
and I declared inside of me I was never going to have another alcoholic
beverage because I want it to seekGod.
Also, I am not eating pork ,I am changing my wardroom, which is very difficult
because I love clothing and fashion.I
was always proud of my body and I liked to dress in a way that every one could
look at me, now I am starting wearing a Hijab,wearing losing cloth, abayas and modest long shirt.

At work I am struggling very much, in
the company where I work, most people are bias about Islam.

As far as My mother, she is Christian
but she said to be glad to my positive changes and she is learning every day
more and more about Islam and she feels proud of me being a Muslim and now that
my son, 8 years old had also revert by his own willing to Islam she is happy
that we are on this safe path seeing for God.

My dreams as new Muslim areto study Islam sciences and help those
families that are struggling with accepting the idea of converting to Islam, I
want to focus on children coming to Islam .

I think convert to a new faith is
harder for parents with young children because theycan be easy confused, this is why I would
like to concentrate in children of converted families in the future.

I also would like as a Muslim
Pilotshow the world that Islam is not
the submission or oppression that many think it is , and defeat the idea that
Islamrejects career women; all contrary
being able to do what I do is something thatonly Allah could make possible.

The
last thing I would like to share is that I had chosen a Muslim name for me
which is Aisha Jibreel. Aisha means New Life, and Islam is a new life for me,
and Jibreel, because he is the messenger of Allah and I am in Islam because
Allah delivered to my heart a message of Peace by showing me the road to Islam.